French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "parler" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce parler in French?

parler is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /paʁ.le/. It means “to speak / to talk.” par-LAY — the first "r" is a throat rasp, the final "r" is completely silent.

par-LAY — the first "r" is a throat rasp, the final "r" is completely silent.

parler /paʁ.le/

par-LER, weight on the second syllable. This word is the standard textbook example of the -er conjugation, so its rhythm is worth over-learning: light first syllable, clear "ay" at the end.

Listen: parler

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Sound it out

par An unaspirated "p", an open "ah", then the uvular "r". The "r" here must not colour the vowel: keep the "ah" clean, then rasp.

l A light, forward "l".

er The -er infinitive ending: a closed "ay", "r" silent.

Hear it in a sentence

Vous parlez anglais ?

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Listen: Vous parlez anglais ?

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"Vous parlez anglais ?" is a question made by intonation alone, and it contains a liaison many learners miss: "parlez anglais" links the silent "z" of the verb ending into the vowel, /paʁ.le.z‿ɑ̃.glɛ/. "Anglais" opens with a nasal vowel and ends in an open "eh" with a silent "s", and — as with all languages and nationalities — it takes no capital letter.

Where English speakers slip

The two "r"s pull in opposite directions and learners tend to treat them the same way, either pronouncing both ("par-LAIR") or neither ("pa-LAY"). The first is sounded, the second is not. The vowel in the first syllable also gets swallowed by English speakers, who let the "r" reshape it into "parr" as in "park". French keeps a clean open "ah" and then adds the throat sound after it.